


Looking for Edward

by Whydidtheydothis



Category: Victoria (TV)
Genre: M/M, Sort of magical AU I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 16:45:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13485630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whydidtheydothis/pseuds/Whydidtheydothis
Summary: Edward is a doctor on shift at the local Accident & Emergency when a young confused man called Alfred Paget is brought in looking for his lost love Edward Drummond as he does once a year every year on 25th January which he then has no memory of





	Looking for Edward

**Author's Note:**

  * For [twocandles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/twocandles/gifts).



> Hunting out the Leo stuff yesterday reminded me he had a medical degree so Dr Drummond needed to be a thing.
> 
> Apologies for my terrible medical and understand of hospital practices. a psych eval is a psyichiatric evaluation
> 
> all mistakes my own work :)

Edward Drummond rubbed his eyes and yawned, he knew that medical training would be tough and as a junior doctor he was on the lowest rung but A&E on a Thursday night as proving to be an immense challenge. He’d been on duty for 12 hours already and dealt with amongst other things; a child with a peanut wedged in its ear, a homeless man with severly infected feet (that had challenged his olfactory nerves!), a middle aged man who’d had an unfortunate encounter with his strimmer and a very sweet old lady with a broken hip who had called him dear and asked when the real doctor would be there as he was far too young. He needed to finish his shift, shove some food down his face and sleep because that was basically his life no, work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep over and over on a loop!

“Dr Drummond?” it was Mina one of their best nurses, unfailingly kind, calm and unflappable even when being thrown up on by people, he didn’t know how he would have got through his first few days without her.

“Yes?” he replied slightly warily

“I need you to come and have a look at this guy, I think he needs a psych eval but I’d just like you to check him over physically”

“OK, do I need to you know, be careful?”

“No he looks harmless as a lamb, but well you need to see”

“OK” Drummond picked up his stethoscope and put it round his neck again and followed mina down the corridor into a cubicle

 

“Now Alfred” said mina brightly as she bustled in “this is Dr Drummond and…” she got no further before the young man hurled himself at Drummond

“Edward” he threw his arms around his neck “I’ve found you! I’ve found you at last”

“Um…” Drummond tried to disentangle himself but the young man was clinging onto him very tightly

“Now Alfred” mina tried to peel his arms away from Drummond “you need to calm down” but he was fighting back with all his strength “no no” he begged “no, it’s Edward, you don’t understand its _Edward_ ”

Exchanging baffled glances, the two of them they eventually got him off and back onto the bed where he curled on his side sobbing.

“Come on now” said Drummond gently “can you tell me your name?”

“His name is Alfred Paget” said mina when there was no response but continued crying

“Alfred” Drummond laid a hand gently on his shoulder; at the touch of his hand the young man turned over and Drummond almost started back. He hadn’t seen his face properly because all he could remember when he’d walked in was blur of blonde hair and blue eyes before he’d been pinned in that close embrace but looking at him now, he knew him, he was sure he did, at least he thought he did didn’t he?

Huge sad blue eyes stared back at him “don’t you know me Edward?” he asked

“How do you know my name?” asked Drummond bewildered

Alfred smiled at him “you’re my Edward; of course I know your name”

OK this was now completely weirding him out thought Drummond

“How do you know me?” he asked

At that Alfred looked confused “I just do” he said a little frown appearing between his pretty blue eyes

“How long have you known me?” asked Drummond

Again Alfred looked puzzled “forever” he said “always”

“OK” said Drummond trying to fathom what on earth was happening “I’m just going to do some tests to make sure you’re all OK physically”

Alfred smiled at him “of course Edward whatever you want”

Drummond pulled out his Ophthalmoscope

“Now I’m going to look into your eyes” he said and he bent down. He had never seen such blue eyes with such perfect long lashes looking back at him, he stared into them and he instantly felt himself connect with Alfred in a way that made no sense. Yes he had lovely eyes, even if they were red from crying, but it wasn’t just that, he _knew_ these eyes, he’d seen them with other expressions, soft with love, hard with anger, icy with pain and

Mina coughed “doctor I believe you’re meant to use the Ophthalmoscope”

“Ah yes of course” and he saw Alfred grin at him and he couldn’t help but grin back

He peered through the instrument trying to figure out what on earth was going on here, there was certainly nothing wrong with Alfred’s eyes anyway

“Follow my finger please” he said

Alfred solemnly followed his finger with his eyes like a child obediently carrying out a task and Edward was seized with an absurd urge to gently bop the end of Alfred’s nose with it at the end

He took out his reflex hammer

“I’m going to test your reflexes” he said

“OK” Alfred seemed to be finding it all most amusing; Edward tapped first one knee and then the other but there was clearly nothing wrong with the responses there

“Those all seem fine” he smiled at Alfred again who beamed back at him

“Now I need to listen to your heart” he said “can you unbutton your shirt please?” he very nearly said “some more” because Alfred’s shirt already seemed to be lacking several done up buttons

Alfred carefully undid the buttons “now this might be a little cold” said Drummond taking a deep breath, again Alfred’s body seemed familiar to him in a way that just could not really be the case as he’d never met him before. He slipped the stethoscope inside Alfred’s shirt and over his heart

And nearly fell backwards

It was as if a giant jolt of electricity had shot through the stethoscope and into his brain. He whipped the earpieces out of his ear and looked at them and then at Alfred who smiled at him sweetly

 _‘Who are you?_ ’ he wanted to ask

“Doctor Drummond? Are you alright?” it was mina

“Quite alright thank you nurse” replied Drummond trying to get himself together “they just weren’t working, I’ll try again”. He tried again, his fingers gently brushing against Alfred’s chest as he positioned the diaphragm over Alfred’s heart again. This time there was no jolt just the sound of Alfred’s heart thrumming steadily in his ears; he wanted to listen to it forever, no actually what he really wanted was to push Alfred down onto the bed and kiss him which was extremely unprofessional but his fingers and lips almost burned with the need to do it

“I think that might be long enough doctor” said mina meaningfully

“Yes yes of course” Drummond snatched back the stethoscope from Alfred’s chest “well” he said “there seems to be nothing physically wrong with you”  
No nothing at all said his brain

“Of course there isn’t” said Alfred “I’ve found you again Edward after all this time, I’ve never been better”

“Doctor” mina beckoned him “could I have a word?”

"Of course”

“Ill be right back Alfred” said Drummond

“But I don’t want you to go” Alfred's face fell “what if you go away again?”

“I'll be right outside I promise” said Drummond

“Double promise?” said Alfred

“Err yes” said Drummond wondering how Alfred knew that that was what he said when he was being extra promisey about something

 

 

“What’s going on?” said mina the moment they shut the curtain “what were you doing in there? Do you know him?”

Drummond rubbed his face “no, at least, no I’ve not met him; at least I think I haven’t…”

“Well he seemed to know you” said mina frowning “really I’ve not seen anything like that before”

Drummond scratched his nose “do we have his medical notes?”

“I'll look for them” said Mina “I mean he’s clearly not right so he must be in the system somewhere”

“OK ill stay here with him"

“Shouldn’t you get a nurse to do that?” said mina “you do have other patients”

“You’re right, I should”

“Ok ill get his notes and find someone, you tell him that’s what we’re going to do”

Drummond nodded, mina was right he couldn’t just stay here with this Alfred but oh how he wanted to. He went back inside

“Alfred?”

"Edward", Alfred smiled at him

“now I have to go for a bit but…no no Alfred don’t..” but it was too late Alfred had already thrown himself into his arms and began to cry “you can’t” he wept "Edward you can’t leave me again, you left me before and you never even said goodbye, you can’t do it again”

Drummond ran his hands through his hair “OK” he said “look I have to go over there to the nurses’ station, I’ll leave the curtains open so you can see where I am alright”

Alfred bottom lip continued to tremble but he nodded “alright”

“I will be 2 minutes I promise

Drummond went over to the nurses’ station

“I just told him I had to go and he did it again, said I mustn’t leave him, that I left him before and I never said goodbye”

“well I think I might have some information” said mina “though I’m not sure I have any answers” she glanced at the calendar on the wall “today is the 25th January, it seems he’s been doing this every 25th January since, well since he was old enough to talk, saying he’s looking for Edward. The following day he doesn’t remember anything about it”

“What?” said Drummond, “but that’s….god I have never heard of anything like that”

Mina shook her head “me either” she looked over at Alfred who was looking at them and Drummond turned to and gave him a little wave and he waved back “poor thing. He’s had hundred of psych evals, they all say the same thing, he’s completely normal 364 days of the year, it’s just this one day”

Drummond pondered “is there a next of kin listed?”

Mina consulted the notes “yes a Septimus Paget brother”

“Fine ill call him then” said Drummond

“but doct…” began mina

“Mina he’s 25, he’s lived like this all his life, there must be a reason. I’m going to speak to his brother and find out what is behind all this” he paused “how would you feel if you were me?” he asked “he’s looking for Edward and he’s found an Edward, I feel responsible” _and I feel I know him too_ he said silently to himself

 

 

He went into the doctor’s office, picked up the phone and dialled the number on the notes

“Septimus Paget” said a crisp voice

“Mr. Paget? This is Dr Edward Drummond from Queen Victoria’s hospital. And…”

There was a gasp on the line “I’m sorry whom did you say you were?

“I’m Dr Drummond”

“No your full name”

“Edward Drummond”

There was a pause “is this about Alfred?”

“Yes it is we have him here and….”

“Do you need me to come and get him?”

“Yes and also perhaps you can explain to me something about his….condition”

There was a half laugh “ill try but I think you…well doctor….id prepare yourself if I were you”

Edward went back into the cubicle “your brother is coming” he said

Alfred face lit up “Septimus! He’s my favourite brother”

Edward sat down on the bed “he’ll be here soon. Alfred “he stopped he didn’t even know what to ask “Alfred you say you know me, how do you know me?”

Alfred touched Drummond’s face “from before”

“Before?”

“Yes from before, from years and years and years ago”

“Why don’t I know you then?” said Drummond feeling awful as he did because he did sort of know him but he knew, he _knew_ he’d never met an Alfred Paget before

Alfred put his head on one side “you do know me Edward, I know you do”

“But…” Edward stopped, he was right, he did but how?

He put his head in his hands and then felt a arm slip around his shoulder

“It will be Ok Edward” he said “now we’re together again”

He head a cough, it was Mina

“His brother is here”

“OK. Alfred I’m going to go and talk to your brother but I’ll be back soon, I double promise”

“OK” this time Alfred seemed calmer, clearly hearing his brother was here was helping

 

 

Drummond went outside and a young man who looked almost identical to Alfred stood up and held out his hand

“Doctor Drummond?”

“Yes, please come through here”

They went through into a small room they kept for relatives

“Please take a seat”

Septimus sat down and looked at him

“How is Alfred?”

“He is calm, at least at the moment”

“Ah” Septimus looked at him again and shook his head “I assume you’d like to know what’s going on but so would we, we’ve been wondering all our lives”

“Tell me” said Drummond

“It started as soon as he could talk, the first year he just cried and cried for Edward. We didn’t know any Edwards and we had no idea what was happening and then the next day he was fine and my parents just put it down to him being only 2. But then the next year it happened again on the same date, and then the next and the next and the next. Every year on the 25th of January” he paused “could I have some water?”

Edward handed him some from the water cooler feeling as if he was in an alternate reality

“As he get older, it wasn’t just Edward it was ‘Edward Drummond’ he cried for”

Drummond gaped at him “my name” he said

“Yes. We took him to psychiatrists, counsellors, everything. Eventually we tried a hypnotherapist when he was 12. They regressed him and he insisted he was at the court of Queen Victoria and in love with a man called Edward Drummond. We were pretty freaked out as you can imagine, I mean he was 12 and he’d never studied anything about history or shown signs, then anyway, of being interested in boys. So we went researching and unearthed an Alfred Paget who was queen victoria's equerry and an Edward Drummond who was shot on the 25th January. The story goes that he and that Alfred were secret lovers, it was forbidden then and that they had an argument, they were due to be reconciled but before they could be Drummond was shot “

  
Drummond just stared at him, by this point words were simply not a thing that were going to happen

“Now every year on this date he goes out looking for Edward”

Drummond bent his head and closed his eyes

“There’s more” said Septimus quietly “I didn’t know whether to show you this but now I’ve seen you, I think I should”

He held out a piece of paper, Drummond unfolded it; it was a drawing of him dated 10 years ago. He looked at Septimus helplessly

“He drew that when he was 15, he said that was Edward”

Drummond felt gooseflesh run up his arms and he sprang up “but he can’t...we’ve not…how is this possible?”

“I don’t know” said Septimus “but he’s found Edward now and I don’t know what happens next. In the other years as soon as we get to the 26th he forgets”

Drummonds eyes slide to the clock, it was 11.45pm

“Well we have 15 minutes to find out if he forgets again”

Septimus nodded “doctor I don’t know about you but I feel this is the most impossibly bizarre coincidence. Here at last is Edward Drummond looking exactly like the picture he drew. Maybe now he’ll be cured. I don’t want this ruining his life anymore”

Drummond drew in a breath “I think then we need to be with him”

Septimus nodded

Drummond went to the cubicle “Alfred can you come with me?” he asked

“Of course Edward” Alfred got up and held out his hand and Edward took it feeling again that sense of instant connection. He led him to the relatives room where Septimus was waiting

“Septimus! Look I’ve found Edward” he said excitedly

“So it seems” said Septimus gently “why don’t you wait here with Edward and I’ll get us some tea”

“Ok” said Alfred “and biscuits too I’m starving”

Septimus nodded “ill be back”

Alfred and Drummond sat still holding hands. Drummond knew that he should feel uncomfortable in fact downright messed up about all this but he didn’t. When he looked at Alfred he just felt right.

The clock ticked on 11.52, 11.54

“Edward”

“Yes Alfred?”

“May I??” and then without waiting for a yes he felt Alfred's mouth against his and his tongue flick across his lips. Drummond immediately responded as if he’d been kissed by Alfred hundreds of times before, his brain didn’t even stop to ask what he was doing. Alfred’s kiss was as warm and wonderful as slipping inside a soft bed on a cold cold night, and he knew it, oh he _knew_ it. Alfred kissed him and kissed him and he kissed him back feeling his body singing with joy, it wasn’t until he heard an

“Ahem” and an embarrassed noise that he opened his eyes to se Septimus standing there with some plastic cups of tea

He broke away from Alfred who giggled and said “whoops sorry Septimus, you know I have no self control when it comes to Edward”

“You do know him then?” grinned Septimus

“Well yeah of course I know him! We’re dating. Honestly Septimus do you think I go around just kissing random strangers?”

“Ah” Septimus eyes went to the clock and Edwards followed it was 12.05am “you’re dating my brother then?” said Septimus his eyebrow raised

“Um” began Edward and then looked at Alfred who smiled back at him “yes well we’ve just started but yes I think I might be”

 

 


End file.
